What is Warfarin?
Warfarin is a medicine used to treat or prevent blood clots. It is a type of blood-thinning medicine known as an anticoagulant (anti-clotting) and is taken in tablet form, once per day. There are many things that can affect how Warfarin works on each person, therefore if you are taking warfarin you will need to be closely monitored to make sure you are taking just the right amount.
Your usual treating doctor or your hospital doctor may have enrolled you into the pathology Warfarin Care Clinic so that we can monitor your blood and keep your Warfarin dosage at a safe level.
Patients cannot self-register because we require a detailed medical history. You will need to speak with your doctor about enrolling in the Warfarin Care Clinic.
Having a blood test
Your blood test result is referred to as an INR (International Normalised Ratio). This is a measure of the time it takes for your blood to clot. The higher the INR, the thinner the blood and the less warfarin you need. The lower the INR the more likely it is that you will develop a clot, so you may need more warfarin, or another form of anticoagulant cover temporarily. Your warfarin levels need to be in the right range for your individual set of circumstances.
Before your blood test, you can either print and complete the QML Pathology request form to bring with you, or the collector will provide it at the clinic (find a clinic near you here).
Ensure you answer all the questions and mark the boxes appropriately as Yes or No. If you need to communicate any changes to the Warfarin Clinic then one of the questions must be ticked as a YES.
Note that home visits are a limited service only available for those who are clinically housebound and unable to leave their home due to medical reasons.
Patient results
Our goal within the Warfarin Clinic is to contact all patients within 24-48hrs of their test date and time. All phoning of results is completed in priority order.
You should always continue the same dose as last instructed until you receive your new instructions. If you have not been contacted within 2-3 days of your test, call the Warfarin team who can help you.
SMS to your mobile is an efficient and convenient way for you to receive your INR result and warfarin doses. However, if we need to speak with you, we will call instead of SMS. We can then also send an SMS for your records.
To start receiving your results via SMS, contact the Warfarin Clinic, and they will setup your mobile, or if preferred we can setup your family member or carer to receive the SMS on your behalf. For more information on the SMS download our Warfarin Care Clinic Charter.
Keep a record of your results: it is important to document your dose instructions carefully to avoid errors with your medication, and to avoid missing your test dates. Use a dedicated note pad or download the INR record sheet.
Hospital admissions
While you are in hospital, we suspend your file within the Warfarin Clinic until your treatment is complete.
For QML to recommence managing your warfarin we will need a handover from the discharging hospital. It is important that we have all the information necessary to safely manage your Warfarin again.
Ask the discharging hospital to contact us immediately prior to discharge. You may wish to print and take the Post discharge information update request form to give to the discharging hospital who can complete and forward to us.
Call us once you are home, so we are aware of your discharge.
When should I contact the Warfarin clinic?
- Medicine changes – If any medicine changes are for 3 days or longer (prescribed, or over the counter). Including if you are taking heparin (e.g. Clexane®) injection.
- Hospital Admission/Discharge – If you are admitted or discharged to hospital.
- Surgery/procedures – Contact us if you are to have any surgery or dental procedures to advise us of your pre-operative requirements. Ask the doctor for any special instructions on when you should recommence your warfarin and whether you need other anticoagulant cover pre and post procedure. Provide this information to the Warfarin Care Clinic.
- Holidays – Tell us if you are going away on holidays so we can make the necessary arrangements for your testing. See also guidelines included in the booklet above: Warfarin Care Clinic Information for Patients (page 11)
- No longer taking Warfarin – Tell us if you are stopping Warfarin.
Warfarin fees
To allow the Warfarin Clinic to continue to provide the service of managing your warfarin doses an annual fee is charged each November.
New patients incur an upfront registration fee. If the registration is processed after the 1st July then the Annual fee is exempt for November of the same calendar year.
For more information, download our Warfarin care clinic fee acceptance form.
How can I join the Warfarin Clinic?
Your doctor or their practice nurse will first need to contact the Warfarin Clinic to register you onto the program and supply us with your medical history.
They can call us by phone or complete the Warfarin care clinic patient registration form.
Once the registration has been processed, we will contact you to plan your first test and talk with you to explain how the Warfarin Clinic works.
Information for carers of nursing home residents and pharmacists
For more information, download our Warfarin for nursing residents and Pharmacy flyer documents.
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